


fallen angels

by feychella



Series: treasured wings [2]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/F, Flashbacks, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24912361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feychella/pseuds/feychella
Summary: Althea remembers the times she spent with Barb back in school.
Relationships: Althea Song & Bloodhawk Barb, Bloodhawk Barb/Althea Song
Series: treasured wings [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814374
Comments: 12
Kudos: 15





	fallen angels

**Author's Note:**

> The Avenging Angel and Bloodhawk Barb own my heart. Also, I wrote this super fast so I hope it makes sense!
> 
> Your comments are appreciated. :)

She looks over at the Bloodhawk, bold and brave, white eyes blazing with determination behind her dark sunglasses. They had fought side by side many times, on the practice battlefield, in battles that they’d already forgotten the name of. Barb had been a villain, Althea had been a hero. There was a time where Althea would’ve done anything for Barb. And Barb would’ve done the same for her. But somehow, nothing and everything had changed in the past few years. The heat of the battle overwhelms her and her mind starts running memories on replay. _Just like old times._ The battle cries start fading from around her and the world falls silent as she remembers her first days on campus.

\-------

Althea steps into Hieronymous Wiggenstaff's School for Heroism and Villainy for the first time. It was certainly different than her home in the city, with its proximity to a _forest,_ and nature all over campus. It was beautiful in its own way. She pushes open the door to her dorm and sees a tall, raven-haired girl lying on one of the beds, tapping away on a stone of Farspeech. _My roommate._

“I’m Althea.” She holds out her hand and the girl grins, grasping it.

“Bairbre. You can call me Barb.” Barb winks at Althea.

They become fast friends. Barb helped her unpack her bags and they rearranged the dorm that night to feel like home. _At least my roommate is nice to me._ Althea had been worried about not finding common ground with these people - most of them came from generations of heroes and villains. She...didn’t. They talk into the early morning, everything from family to friends back home, to lovers far away. 

"You got a boyfriend back home waiting for you, sweetheart?” Barb plays with Althea’s autumn-orange hair. Althea’s ears twitch at the question. 

“No boyfriend. I guess that’s something else to look forward to here, hm?”

“If you’re into all that romance stuff, I guess so.”

Althea turns over in her bed, heart warm. Tomorrow would be her first day of classes as a cleric. She'd always wanted to help others, and healing seemed like the best way to do it. She wasn't really into the weaponry aspect but learning to defend herself would be...useful for the time being. Barb was training to be a fighter, or a hunter, or something.

“Hey, Barb. If we’re going to be heroes, we better think of a name…”

“What about the Angels?”

“That’s cute. Come up with it yourself?” Althea tosses back, name already growing on her.

“I’m an original thinker.”

She keeps the memory of Barb’s soft laughter in her mind as she drifts off to sleep. The smell of blood rises around her as more demons fall. Barb’s screams fizzle out, and she sheathes her twin blades, breathing hard. Althea slices a demon in half and sheathes her weapons as well. They look at each other with begrudging respect, years of history and forgotten memories stretching between them. _Did she remember?_ As they begin walking towards the survivors of the tavern, Althea starts thinking again.

\-------

Their first real-world mission, together as a hero and villain. They weren’t technically supposed to work together, after Barb had switched tracks. Their sidekicks trailed behind them, talking and laughing, but Althea was lost in her own thoughts. The mission was to retrieve a gem from the heart of a rampaging treant that had been destroying the townspeople's market. The gem was apparently cursed and the reason for the murderous treant. Barb tosses a berry at Althea, who catches it and pops it into her mouth without thinking.

“That wasn’t poisonous, right?”

“I don’t think so.” Barb eats another berry, chewing thoughtfully. “No, I don’t think so. Aren’t you so excited? Our first real world mission! We’re going to have _fun!_ ”

“This isn’t about _fun,_ Barb. We have to succeed on this for class.”

“You’re the boss.” Barb rolls her eyes. “Hey, watch this!” She magicks wings behind her and Althea as they walk. “Ta-da. Angels for life.” Barb flips her dark hair over her shoulder and runs ahead.

“Don’t go too far!”

Barb slips on and falls onto the dirt, hand around her neck. “Althea, I can’t breathe. My throat...I can’t swallow, Althea. What’s going on?” She grasps Althea’s hand when she rushes over and holds on tight. Althea prepares a spell to dispel magic before spotting dark tendrils reaching up around Barb’s body, towards her eyes - the magic at her fingertips sizzle out. Barb’s hazel eyes glaze over with pain and Althea shakes her. _Shit._

“Can you hear me? Barb, Barb, please-”

Barb’s eyes close and Althea is left kneeling on the ground, screaming and slapping her face. Her breath sputters out as Althea slams a healing spell onto her chest. _Too slow. I was too slow._ She spends every following night chastising herself at Barb’s bedside. How could she let Barb, her best friend, get cursed? If she had acted faster... Barb’s chest rises and falls and Althea reaches out to hold her hand. Her heart aches as Barb struggles to breathe, tossing and turning in bed all night. _What if I had acted faster? If I had been better?_ Maybe she wasn’t cut out to be a hero. What is the point of being a hero if you can’t save someone you love? 

The thoughts echo around her mind as she escorts the refugees to safety back in the town. Barb smiles at her and she smiles back. Perhaps they could return to normal, whatever normal was these days.

“You okay there, angel?” Althea starts at Barb’s hoarse voice. _Angel._ She still remembered?

“Yeah...I’m fine. Tired.” 

Barb nods and slings an arm around Althea’s shoulder, warming up to her again. The two walk back towards the town inn and check into adjoining rooms. As Althea lies on the bed, she rubs her eyes and falls into a restless sleep as her roommate steps out of the shower.

\-------

Barb had woken up eventually, eyes pure white, energy more chaotic than usual. Something had definitely changed about her, but Althea couldn’t figure out what it was. Their mission had gone off without a hitch, besides Barb getting cursed. They’re back in their dorm room, pixie lights glimmering around the edges of the ceiling as dusk falls. Barb’s hair is loose as she pores over a textbook, highlighter twirling in her fingers. Althea was studying too, for midterms, but she couldn’t focus with Barb so close.

Ever since the whole cursed incident, she’d realized that she didn’t want to lose Barb. _Losing Barb would be the final straw_ , she thinks. Althea vows to never let anything take her away from her. No monster, no demons, no magic could tear Barb away from her. They had a special bond, beyond just friends. Althea would ride into battle to save Barb. Barb would do the same for Althea. There was something different about their relationship. And maybe a little part of Althea wanted them to be more than friends. Barb flops at the edge of Althea’s bunk, textbook hiding her face from the light, hair splayed on her roommate’s notes. 

“Hey, angel. How’s your _heroism_ going?” Barb murmurs, tucking a strand of Althea’s hair behind her ear. Althea grabs her wrist and throws it back onto the bed playfully. 

“Well enough, if you weren’t on my notes.”

Barb locates a pen and doodles little hearts in the margins of her notes. _Is she...flirting with me?_ Yawning, Barb makes her way back over to her own bed, settling into her mountain of blankets and pillows and falling asleep. Althea tries to piece together their relationship until she falls asleep too, still thinking about the elusive white-eyed girl across from her. She almost snaps out of her dream when a warm body causes a dip in her bed. Barb sits above her, staring out the window of the inn, keeping watch like the nights after...after...

\-------

The curse had affected Barb more than she’d want to admit to Althea. She was unpredictable, uncontrollable, she couldn’t _sleep_ no matter how hard she tried. The potions, the berries, were never enough for her. Nothing could get her to sleep so she lay awake, watching Althea and the four oppressive walls that bore down on her. She would look outside, at the students partying, at the nightlife on campus and silently mourn. One night, Althea sits up with her. They talked about everything that's happened, just like their first night together. 

“Are you okay?” Barb looks at Althea, worry on her face. _Now or never._ She drapes the blanket around the two of them and looks up at Barb.

She leans forward and kisses her roommate on the lips. Barb grunts under Althea, leaning backwards, away from her. Althea’s heart breaks as Barb blinks with surprise, shaking her head. The thoughts in Althea's head start bouncing around rapidly, voices yelling at her for being _so stupid, why would she like you?_ Something tightens in her chest as Barb stands up and backs away from her, eyes wide. Althea bites her lip and reaches her hand out to her roommate, her best friend, the girl she loves. _I lost her._

“Uh...I need to go. I got to...go. Althea, I’m sorry-” Barb walked out the door and never came back. Rumor had it that she was studying with a new teacher, or she’d transferred to a different school. Althea couldn’t help but think that it was all her fault. Althea packed her bags that night, told her teachers and the admissions officers she wasn't coming back, and went home. She worked in the city, a failed hero, shame crammed into every corner of her workspace. Until the Heroic Oversights Guild recruited her.

She remembers the day that the letter came in the mail. It was the first piece of good news she'd had in _months._ Finally, she could be making a difference again. Maybe she would be able to find Barb again, maybe she would be able to protect her new friends. When she walked into the impressive office, she was handed a box full of papers and a stamp. They'd told her to look through the complaints and figure out what actually needed to be attended to. Althea sat at the desk for three weeks before marching into the head of the department's office and demanding to go in person to each place. She'd thoroughly chewed him out, and he eventually let her watch over Hieronymous Wiggenstaff's School for Heroism and Villainy, her old stomping grounds.

For years, Althea waited. She watched. Something was off about the place, after the Godscar Chasm opened up. When she poked around the Chasm, she detected a suspicious kind of magic, the same traces that curled around Barb's body so many years earlier. Althea alerted the HOG about the situation, and they didn't do anything. No, they did do something. They told her to file a report and that they'd look at it later. So Althea kept returning to the school for "inspections," trying to figure out what had broken her best friend. The years piled up and she couldn't find _anything._ It was as if no one remembered a time before the Chasm had opened up, even though it certainly wasn't there when she was in school. Althea nearly drove herself mad as she tore through inspection reports, history books, and spellbooks trying to find a way to locate Barb and bring her _home._

When Barb sits on the edge of her bed, for the first time in years, she sits up with her. 

\-------

“Are you okay?” Althea murmurs, tilting Barb’s face towards hers in the moonlight. Those pale white eyes fill with tears as Barb shakes her head _no._ She still couldn’t sleep, so Althea opens her arms. Barb holds on to her tight. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Althea, all those years ago, I didn’t abandon you.”

“I know, my love.”

“I never stopped thinking about you.” Barb looks up at Althea, nervous. She’d never seen Barb, brave, strong, Barb, look _nervous._ Taking a deep breath, she makes a decision. _Now or never._

“Neither did I.”

"God, I'm such an idiot. What are we doing?”

“All the wrong things.” Althea looks down at her, smiling. “But that’s how love works sometimes. You do the wrong things, and you lose people, and then you wonder what you could’ve done differently. And you do it again, and again-”

“Did you love me?”

There’s a long pause. Then another. Althea looks outside the window, where owls are circling and fireflies flash intermittently. This world is beautiful. Her world is beautiful, and it’s always been more beautiful with Barb in it. The memory of late-night pizza parties, studying with ice cream buckets littered around them, movie nights with their friends, snuggled up under the blankets together. The time Barb held her hand under the table during an open-discussion seminar because she was nervous. She smiles, remembering all their good times. She could have that again.

“I never stopped.”

And then Barb is reaching up towards her neck, knotting her hands in her red-orange hair, and pulling her down towards her lips. Althea ponders letting go of her - denying herself this would make everything less complicated. Barb’s lips are soft and sweet, the scent of coconut sealing the two women together. The smell of shampoo and scented soaps mix together and Althea tangles her hands in Barb’s hair, wrapping her legs around her waist. She kisses her deeply, hoping to convey everything that couldn't be said out loud. Her passion pours into the kiss and they fall back onto the bed together, giggling, eyes hazy.

She never stopped loving Barb. How could she?


End file.
